Green Shoes
by paizley
Summary: Rin goes to the gym every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at exactly 1:00 am. Why? Well... it may or may not have to do with that hottie in green shoes.
1. G

Green Shoes

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, does not belong to me.

.Paizley.

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><p>"Augh," Rin moaned, gripping her head from the information overload. "I can't do this anymore," she muttered, flinging herself onto her twin-sized bed. She shimmied under the covers before starring up at the vaulted ceiling. She threw her arm over her eyes, shielding them from the cheap fluorescent lights. She peered over to the clock next to her, those flashing neon blue lights nearly blinding her bleary eyes. It was twelve-thirty. She had started studying around noon; that meant she spent roughly 12 hours in <em>that<em> chair. "Augh." She needed sleep, and she needed it badly considering her history midterm was less than eight hours away.

She frowned at the tall Starbucks cup on her desk, almost as if it were smirking back at her, with that stupid, knowing look. So maybe it was a bad... ok, it was a completely stupid idea to down a venti espresso at eleven thirty at night, but she was desperate! History was not her subject, and she was cursing herself for even taking it in the first place. She should have taken a bird course. Oh how she cursed her academic advisor. _Stupid lady_. History was _so_ not easy.

She shifted in her bed, ok... so maybe it wasn't entirely her academic advisor's fault. She _could_ have dropped that horrid course months ago, but that meant not seeing _him _every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Him. She sighed, gosh, he was just so handsome. He had dreamy honey eyes, an impeccable taste of clothes, a lean, athletic build, aristocratic features, and long, silver hair; yet he scowled much too often for someone so pretty. He was _definitely_ the silent, brooding type. Usually, he sat in the back of the classroom, next to a guy who she assumed was his friend. Maybe that was why she wasn't doing so well, she mused, her lips curling at the thought; she spent the class daydreaming of _him _instead on paying attention.

"Aughhh," she buried her face in her pillow, feeling restless, feeling antsy. She needed to get rid of this pent up energy. She lay still for a moment, thinking. _Maybe she should go for a run! Yeah! _She jumped to change, before faltering. Right. It was late at night. Going for a run wasn't the brightest idea. She sighed, sitting back into her seat.

She glared at her textbook, _The History of Japan, _tempted to throw it out her dorm window. "Stupid history," she muttered, taking a marker from her pencil holder to draw a mustache on the samurai on the cover. Immediately though, she felt regret, licking her finger before she rubbed it off. "Sorry sir," she murmured apologetically, "I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Oi!" A male voice came from behind the door, "Are you finally getting laid in there?"

Rin snorted, toying with the edges of the book, "No Jak. I'm just... frustrated."

"Hm," a tall, lanky man strode in, his long black hair flowing with each step. He wore a pink tank top and green shorts, his eyelids painted with blue eye shadow. "Sexually?"

She turned bright red, "Oh my god!" she hissed, chucking a pen at his head. Kami, she should have never told him about her virginity. I mean, what twenty year old, living in a college dorm, was still a virgin! "No! History. History. My history midterm is tomorrow."

"Oh," he snorted, taking a seat on her bed, "Laammme. I thought you were finally getting interesting."

Rin pouted, "Hey. That hurts." She leaned back into her seat, propping her feet in his lap. "I can't sleep," she lamented, "And my midterm's eight hours away. I'm going to fail."

Jakotsu made a face, "Ouch. Yucky. Well, why can't you sleep?"

She shrugged, looking back woefully to her empty cup, "I drank too much coffee way too late at night."

"Oh," he leant back onto his elbows, contemplating for a moment, before sitting up. "Ah-ha! I've got a spectacular idea. Why don't you go to the gym!"

She blinked, "The gym," she repeated, almost as if the word was foreign to her.

"Yeah doofus, the gym." He poked her midsection, "It's like five seconds away, plus open twenty-four hours."

She frowned, "Really?" The school had a gym and she was just hearing about this now? "But, I don't have a membership!"

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah you do. Just show your school id and you'll be good to go."

"Oh..." she thought for a moment, "Whoa. Wait a second," she pointed at him accusingly, "You go to the gym?"

"Hey!" he held a hand to his heart, "I, unlike you, care for my health." He laughed at the look on her face, "Annndddd there may or may not be a gaggle of sweaty hotties there."

She giggled, "Well... ok. I guess I'll go. Thanks Jak!" She beamed, leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"No problem Rinny, and hey, maybe you'll finally meet someone there." He winked, waving his fingers as he left her room. She laughed, changing into a pair of black shorts, and a yellow tank top. She tied her hair back into a loose bun, before grabbing her id and an orange hoodie. "I'll be back in an hour or something," she called out, slipping into her white tennis shoes.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get sweaty," Jakotsu yelled back from the bathroom.

It took ten minutes for Rin to find the gym, walking through two tunnels before finding it. "Hi," she smiled at the girl at the front desk, "I'm here to go the gym."

The girl blinked back, looking up from her book, "Oh, sorry, ok, ID?"

She held out her id, thanking her as she scanned it and pushed through the door. She scrunched her nose at the smell permeating her senses, sweat, and incredibly harsh b.o. _Gross. I guess some people don't yet know about the wonders of deodorant. _

Surprisingly, there were several people there, though the majority were men, lifting weights. She shrugged, _ok Rin, it's time to work out all that extra energy. You need to get to bed. _She stepped onto the nearest treadmill, playing with a few buttons before it started to work. She began a nice light jog, looking up at the TV screens. Because it was late at night, there were only infomercials and news channels on. She sighed, man, how utterly dull, she should have brought her iPod.

Twenty minutes later, whilst red-faced and sweaty, a flash of silver caught her eye. It was _him_! Her breath hitched as he walked past her. He wore a fitted black, long-sleeved underarmour crew, black adidas training pants, that fit so well she could see how sinfully delicious his bum was, and to her surprise; bright green running shoes. She couldn't help but grin as she watched him walk to the chin-up bar, where he proceeded to do thirty-seven pull-ups (not that she was counting or anything). He crossed his ankles, and had a glint of determination in his eyes as he lifted himself with each tug. _Oh kami, _her mouth watered as his arm muscles rippled with every pull-up. She probably should have looked away, it was pretty obvious that she was watching him, but she just couldn't. She swallowed, slowing down the treadmill to a brisk walk; perhaps he was a demi-god sent here to torture her. _Look away Rin, _she warned herself, _focus on the treadmill. Yeah, forget about him. You're here to workout, not stare at him like he's a piece of meat. _She pouted the moment he left the chin-up bar, and walked behind a wall. She could hear the clinks and clanks of the machines, and she could only help but wonder what he was doing.

"Hm," she pressed stop, applauding herself for running off four hundred and thirteen calories in that twenty-something minute span. She wiped the sweat from her brow, jumping off the treadmill and sauntered over to the free weights area. And then, there he was, lifting a fifty-pound weight as if it were nothing. _Geez girl, are you actually salivating? _She lifted her hand to the side of her mouth, _well, good. No. _She looked around the room, the weight-machines all looked daunting, she wouldn't dare try any save for embarrassing herself.

"Hey pretty lady," a guy wearing an Ed Hardy shirt, with a tiger paw jumping out of the fabric, and grey shorts, sauntered up to her. His muscles were bulging, causing Rin to ponder whether or not he had taken steroids. "Can I help you?" he sent her a sleazy one-over, grinning as he leaned against a leg press.

"Uh," her gaze flitted back to the hottie-in-green-shoes_. Abort Rin! Abort! He's really hot but so not worth talking to this meathead. _"Er... actually, I'm just going to go back over there." She nearly ran back to the cardio room, laughing. So, she thought, jumping onto an elliptical machine; the man from her history class, _and her dreams, _came to the gym. She grinned, _well, guess that means I'm going to be a regular here now. _

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><p>For the two next weeks, Rin began to go the gym at one in the morning every, single day. It didn't matter if she had eight-thirty classes the same day. No. She went, determined to see <em>him. He, <em>however, much to her dismay, didn't come everyday. It seemed, from her two-week observation that he came only to the gym on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Not that she was stalking him or anything. That'd just be plain creepy. Now, it was December, with only a week until her history final.

She let out a sigh as she closed the textbook, stretching out her arms to ease the strain in her back. "Seven hours," she muttered bitterly, sipping her water, "seven hours and I still don't know anything." She glanced at her watch, almost smiling as she noted the time. 12:50! Only ten minutes until _he _would be at the gym.

"Hey Jak," she whispered, tucking her books back into her bag, "I'm going to go to head down to the gym."

"Ah," he wiggled his eyebrows, "The gym." He smirked, scribbling down some notes onto his pad of paper, "Just go talk to him Rinny."

"I... what!" She hissed, blushing madly, "There's no _he_!"

"Sure there's not." He looked up dryly from his computer, his glasses slipping down his narrow nose, "Yes. There must be some _other_ explanation as to why you go to the gym at one in the morning."

She rolled her eyes, thinking quickly on her feet, "It's because it's quieter then."

"I'm sure it is. Go forth Rin," he waved her off, "But he's in your history class right? So just ask him for help or something. A little, 'hello sir, I'm just a weak little girl, could you be so kind as to help me?'"

"I," she stuttered, how did he know? He raised a brow, causing Rin to blush even redder. Oh yeah, he had seen her doodles of _him_ in her notebook. "Just... augh. Goodbye Jak."

He grinned, changing the slide of his PowerPoint, "Have yourself a great, sexy night."

She muttered to herself as she stalked off to the gym, walking through the maze of desks in the library. "Stupid Jak. Stupid know-it-all. Thinks he knows everything." _Augh. _It seemed that though it was the middle of the night, all tables were occupied. "Sorry," she whispered as she brushed against the back of some guy's chair. He gave a noncommittal grunt, pulling in his seat. She ran eagerly to the front doors, pushing out to breathe in the scent of fresh air.

"Mm," she moaned, tucking her hands into her jacket pocket. She loved winter; the crisp taste of the air was invigorating. That, or maybe the fact that she would be seeing _him _in less than three minutes added a bounce to her step.

"Hi!" She stuck out her id; this time a guy sat at the reception.

"Hey, working out eh?" He moved up from his slouched position in the leather seat, "Not many people in today," he replied, scanning her card.

Her smile faltered, _not many people? Did that mean no history-hottie? _"Oh." Would it be weird if she asked if a guy with silver hair had come in? Yeah. Probably. "Thanks," she sighed, pushing through the doors. The receptionist was right. There were maybe three other people in the gym, neither one of them _him. _Deflated, she turned her heel, only to catch a certain someone walk in. He wore a grey beanie, an expensive blue wool coat (she could see the iconic Burberry stripes peeking out of the lining) over a white sweater, black jeans, and cream-colored canvas oxfords.

_Shit, _she thought, tightening her hold on her bag, _it's him! Ok Rin, talk to him. You can do it. I mean hell, why else did you bother dressing up today, to go the library?_

He was walking closer, _speak goddamn it Rin! _"Hi!" Oh god, oh god, did she just squeak? She should just go jump off a cliff. _Augh. _

He raised a brow, looking down to see where that voice had come from. He smirked as his eyes landed on the petite girl in front of him; _her. _"Hi." His voice was smooth, sending tingles down her spine.

"Uhm," she swallowed, wow, she wasn't expecting a response! _Oh god, oh god, talk woman! Haven't you had a conversation before? _"It's... it's," she stuttered, trying to string along a coherent sentence, "It's getting kind of chilly outside, isn't it?"

His smirk grew wider, if that were even possible, pulling off his grey beanie, "Indeed it is."

She was finding it harder to speak; it seemed the moment he came into near proximity, her brain shutdown. "The gym."

He quirked a brow, amusement shining through amber eyes, "Yes. This is the gym."

"Oh my god," she brought her hands to her face, utterly mortified, "I'm _so_ sorry." She bowed her head before she ran off to the changing rooms, berating herself the entire way. "Stupid, stupid, stupid Rin. The gym! The gym! What the hell woman! Augh," she slammed her bag into the locker, plopping onto the bench. "He must think I'm an idiot." She let out a deep breath, putting her head in between her knees, "I'm going to kill Jak." She should have never spoken to him! Never! She should have just admired him from a distance! God, why did his voice have to be so hot too! Augh, it just wasn't fair. Why couldn't he be more like David Beckham? Sure he looked damn sexy, but the moment he spoke, and that squeaky British voice came out, well, let's just say the attractiveness level went down.

After taking a moment to calm herself down, and for that incessant blush to leave her cheeks, she peaked outside the changing room; should she just go? No, no, she shook her head, that'd be like admitting defeat. She sighed, pulling on grey sweats and a pink tank top. She stuck in her headphones, averting her gaze from the free-weights room by pretending to be entrapped by her textbook. _There, _she thought, making it successfully to the treadmills without seeing him. "Success," she muttered, glancing up from the textbook. She froze however, at the whirring sounds of the treadmills. The reason why she hadn't made eye-contact with history-hottie-in-green-shoes on the way over here was because he was on the treadmill!

"Shit," her eyes grew wide as she held the book tighter to her body, "Shit." She shuffled over to the StairMaster, forever thankful that he also had headphones in. Thankfully, the machine was behind the two rows of treadmills, which meant she was partially camouflaged from his view. Ten minutes later, he jumped off, and began his routine of pull-ups, then weights. She couldn't help but watch his pull-ups; this time, forty-two. She chewed the corner of her lip, finding it harder and harder to breath. "Why does he have to be so attractive?" she muttered, angrily turning a page of her book. _Augh, _she ripped the page. _Guess that means I can't return it now. Stupid boy. Stupid hot boy. Stupid hot boy with a sexy voice. Augh._ "Stop Rin." she muttered, tying her long hair up into a ponytail, "Think of something else." She looked down at her textbook, trying to concentrate on reading the first paragraph but it wasn't working.

"Forget it," she sighed, closing the book. She blasted the music on her iPod, taking her anger out on the stairs. An hour later she found herself utterly exhausted, and incredibly sweaty. "Attractive," she mumbled, blotting her face with paper towel from the dispenser. Gosh, she was parched. She looked around the room for the water fountain, cursing as she noted _he _was lifting dumbbells two feet away from it.

"Buck up Rin," she told herself, creeping past the guy in Ed Hardy, who seemed to live at the gym, to the fountain. To her ever-growing luck, _he_ had stepped in front of the fountain, waiting for the girl ahead of him to finish filling up her water bottle. From her position behind him, she could hear the music blasting from his iPod. _The Black Keys, _she smiled, gosh, could this guy get even dreamier?

"After you," he had apparently spotted her behind him, stepping back to allow her access to the water first.

Her eyes shot up, mumbling a quick thanks as she leant down to take a quick sip. She bowed her head as she stood back up, "Uhm, thanks again."

He nodded his head, "You're in my history class." It was more of a statement than a question.

She blushed, _he noticed her? _"Uh," she lifted a hand to her face, "Yeah."

He smirked, "And you study at the gym?" He asked, pointing to her textbook, which she held haphazardly in her left hand.

"Huh?" She looked down, "Oh. Yeah," she blew out her bangs that were sticking to her forehead; oh why oh why was he talking to her when she was all sweaty and red and blotchy! "The exam's soon."

"Indeed it is." He leant down briefly to take a sip from the fountain, "Are you majoring in history?"

She let out a very unladylike snort, "No." She shook her head, laughing at the thought, "Not at all."

"No?" He tucked his hands into his pockets, intrigued, "Then what?"

She thought for a second, before tilting her head to the side, a twinkle in her eye, "Guess."

He raised a brow, "Very well." He knitted his brows, taking a minute to ponder all the possibilities, "Business Admin."

She giggled, "Not even close."

"Really? Alright," he took a step closer, "Science."

She licked her lips, starring up at him. _Wow. He is tall. Or maybe she was just incredibly short. Oh right, she should probably answer. _"Closer."

He took another step forward, "Chemistry?"

She shook her head, her cheeks flaming red. _Really Rin, blushing because he said chemistry! Chemistry! What is wrong with you! _

"Biology."

_Oh, now that was better, _"Ish."

"Ish," he repeated, "Care to elaborate?"

"Oh," she shrugged, "It's kinda lame."

He chuckled, "I'm sure it's not."

She scuffed her heel on the floor, looking up bashfully, "Botany."

"Botany." He raised his eyebrows, "Interesting field."

"Yeah," her eyes lit up as she spoke, "It's so awesome. Yesterday the plant that I'm working on for my honors project bloomed! It's a rare species of orchid found only in the Amazon! It was so awesome! And so pretty! I've been waiting for three months for it to bloom and it did and I was just so ecstatic! I'm manipulating their growing conditions to simulate climate change but..." she trailed off as she realized her spiel, "Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent."

He quirked his lips; "Don't be." He brushed a loose curl from her cheek, looking intently in her chocolate eyes, "You've been watching me."

Oh fucking god. He knew. HE KNEW! It was at times like this that she wished she could apparate. Kami, why oh why hadn't she gotten that damn owl when she turned eleven? "Um," she probably looked like a tomato at this point, "Um."

"You intrigue me," he murmured, stepping closer so there were just two inches separating them.

"Yo, you two going to make out or can I get some fucking water?"

Rin whipped her head around to see Mr. Ed Hardy tee glowering at them, "Sorry!" She replied meekly, running to the change room.

"What was that?" she asked herself, quickly changing back into her light pink over-sized tunic and leggings. She washed her face, splashing cold-water onto her face repeatedly to wake-up from this dream/nightmare. "Augh," she looked back at her pale face; at least it wasn't red anymore.

With a resounding sigh she lifted her bag into her shoulder, strolling hesitantly out of the gym. Thankfully, he was nowhere in sight. That _was_ until she spotted him outside the gym, leaning nonchalantly against the brick wall. He was frowning, reading something on his phone.

"There you are," he looked up when he heard the doors open. He stuffed his phone into his pocket, "Are you going to make it a habit of running away from me?"

"I..." she was about to bolt when his hand wrapped around her arm.

"Stay," he commanded, in that oh so silky, oh so sexy, but oh so _deadly_ voice of his.

"Ok," she muttered; well, considering her knees were in a current state of mush, she couldn't very well run away from him.

"Do you live on campus?" he asked, gently prying her textbook from her hands and tucked it under his arm.

She nodded, not trusting in her ability to speak at that moment.

"Very well," he took his hand off her, "I'll walk you to your dorm." He began to walk away, before glancing back, "Are you coming?"

"I..." she stared back at him, like a deer caught in headlights, "I don't even know your name."

His lips quirked, "Sesshomaru."

_Sesshomaru. So the man of her dreams was named Sesshomaru. Geez, even his name was sexy. _"Rin." She coughed to clear her throat, "My name is Rin."

"Rin," he walked back to where she stood rooted to the gravel, "Very well Rin," he purred, taking her hand, "To your dorm."

She tried to ignore the fact that her hand fit perfectly in his, or that there were billions of butterflies fluttering inside of her. She also tried to control her blushing, but that wasn't really working out too well. "So," she began, "how about you?"

"Hn?"

She dared to look over at him, noting how great he looked in his hat, "What are you majored in?"

"Architecture."

She gasped, "Wow." Even his major was sexy! "That's..." well, telling him that she thought architecture was incredibly sexy was probably not the greatest idea, "admirable."

He laughed, "Admirable. Interesting choice of words."

"Mm," she smiled, now skipping over the lines of the sidewalk, "I've always wanted to live in a place with exposed-brick. That and to own a mini-cooper." She giggled, "My two life goals." She cocked her head to the side, "So why architecture?"

He was silent for a moment, "I was good at drawing."

She laughed, "And I liked plants." She bit her lip, her gaze falling on their intertwined hands, "So, what year are you in?"

"My fourth and very last year. I finished my degree in civil engineering before taking architecture."

"Wow." So not only was he artistic, he was a genius too! "I can't help but feel quite insignificant in comparison."

He smirked, "I'm sure botany is no laughing matter." He looked up at the sky, where snowflakes were slowly dropping down. "Are you in your final year?"

"Yeah. I decided to do my honors by thesis," she made a face, "Not my smartest decision."

"Mmm, sounds academic."

She laughed, "Oh it is." She lifted her hand to point at the red brick building to their right, "This one's me."

"Very well," he walked her to the front door, "It would be highly inappropriate of me to kiss you now," he murmured, "considering we have yet to have a first date. Thusly," he lifted her right hand, pressing a soft, promising kiss on her wrist, "Tomorrow night. I will pick you up here at seven. I will take you out to dinner, we will walk downtown afterwards, you'll have a wonderful time, find me positively charming, and I'll kiss you," he lifted her chin, "Like this." He pressed his lips softly against hers, slowly plying hers, his tongue, so silky, so smooth. _Oh Kami, he even kisses like a god. _She moaned, her arms wrapping around his neck, "Sesshomaru," she whispered when they parted for breath. "I..."

He didn't let her finish, pressing a quick kiss on her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow night." He turned to leave, before pausing as she tugged his sleeve.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, her cheeks tainted pink, "By tomorrow night at seven, do you mean tomorrow as in Tuesday or tomorrow as in actually tonight, considering it's technically already Monday?"

He laughed, processing her spiel, "Tonight then." He kissed her warmed cheek, "Have a goodnight Rin."

She nodded, "Ok." She rocked on her feet, watching as he walked down the path. When she figured he was far enough away, she let out a huge squeal, "HOLY SHIT!" She giggled, twirling around the front doors. She cart wheeled, and ran to hug a tree, "Thank you Kami!" She squealed once more, jumping up to high-five the steel lamppost, before running into the building.

From his spot, a mere twelve meters from her dorm, a man in green running shoes, wearing a blue jacket over a grey hoodie and black workout pants, smiled. He tucked his hands into his pockets, delight shining through his honey-colored eyes; he was definitely looking forward to _tonight_.

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><p>... shall I continue?<p>

xo

Paizley


	2. R

chapter 2.

by

paizley

disclaimer: anything you recognize, i do not own.

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><p>so sorry it took so long but when i initially started this story, i had no plot in mind whatsoever. thus, this took a little while to think out! and i couldn't leave y'all hanging like that :P i mean, over 50 reviews! sihfihioehfohhaugfiwehi! *spasm* ack!<p>

many many thanks to all of my reviewers, hopefully i replied to those with accounts! and for my anonymous reviewers; cheers!: hanayuki, Hhflyka, Maximus prime, MusicLover148, Gdawg, Magma321, gannet, Flights of Fancy, Anonymous, sayo, erika, , jolie, JH, kira y, and finally Yume! and now, onwards :D

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><p>Rin squealed as she ran up the staircase of her dorm, forgoing the aging elevator to blow off her adrenaline. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," she exclaimed, holding her cheeks with her gloved hands, "Oh my gosh!" She could feel the heat radiating from her still red-stained cheeks, her heart beating a million miles per second. She let out another squeal, hugging herself tightly, "I can't believe this! Oh man. Oh man! This <em>has<em> to be a dream," she pinched her arm, praying to Kami that she wasn't going to wake up.

When she didn't, she performed a three-minute happy dance, beginning with a moonwalk across the hall. "Uh-huh! Oh yeah! Who's smooth? Who's got the man! I got 'da man!" She fist-pumped like a guidette, before busting the good ol' Party Rock shuffle, "Erry day I'm shuffling. Bum bum bum bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum bum bum bum." She laughed hysterically, more due to the lack of sleep then the absurdity of the entire situation.

"Holy shit!" She laid her forehead against her door, touching her lips, remembering their kiss. "Holy. Shit." A stupid shit-eating grin plastered her face. _Kami, he was a great kisser. _

She pulled out her keys from her bag, her hands shaking as she unlocked her door. "JAK!" she exclaimed, dumping her bag at the front door before running into his room. "Jak!" she half-whispered, jumping up onto his bed. "Jak!" She shook his lithe body, his nimbly arms shooting up to cover her mouth.

"The fuck Rin," he grumbled, blinking back his sleepy eyes, "What the fuck's going on?" He sent her his best death glare, "You didn't have that stupid nightmare about clowns again did you?"

She squealed, throwing her arms over his torso, "No! Jak! He kissed me!"

"What!" Jakotsu was awake now, his eyes wide, "WHAT! Who? History hottie? Really! Rin!"

She grinned, her pearly whites on display, "Yes! Him! WE KISSED!"

Together, the pair shrieked in happiness, "He kissed you! Rin! That's so fab!" He held her out at arm's length, inspecting her for any signs of a hickey, "Is he a fucking great kisser?"

Rin nodded, "Oh my gosh, yeah! It was like I was floating on a cloud! Jak!" She swooned at the memory, clutching his hand, "It was amazing!"

"Wow," Jakotsu nodded eagerly, "So does that mean you two are like together?"

She knit her eyebrows, "Erm, well, he asked me out to dinner tonight, so does that count?"

"Hell yeah it does woman! So tell me everything!" He clapped his hands eagerly, "I mean, he didn't just kiss you out of the blue, right?"

She bit the corner of her lip, blushing, "Well, it first started with me being a total idiot and saying hello to him when we were walking into the gym. I basically forgot how to talk and I was just so embarrassed that I ran away! Then, when I walked up to the water fountain to get a drink, he started talking to me, and his voice Jak, holy crap! It's so..." she sighed, falling back onto the comforter, "sexy. It's all, mm," she grinned, shivering at the mere thought, "And then, he said he knew I was watching him workout! I didn't really know what to do so I ran away again. But then! He was waiting for me outside when I walked out of them gym! And he walked me to the door and then he asked me to dinner, then he kissed me!"

"Was there tongue?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Rin giggled, "Yeah, and it was delicious. Gosh Jak," she sat back up, "He's so handsome. And he's studying architecture! And he's really smart, at least, I'm guessing, and just, augh," she threw her hands up into the air, "I can't help but end up acting like a total idiot in front of him."

"Well, maybe, but apparently he likes it," Jakotsu smirked, "And he likes you missy," he poked her shoulder, grinning wickedly. "Man, I better be invited to the wedding!"

She laughed, "You'll be the first one I invite," she promised, shifting on his bed so she could rest her head on his shoulder, "You know what I feel like doing?"

"Sleeping?" Jakotsu glanced at his clock, "It is three a.m."

She shook her head, "No. I don't think I can. I think I'm going to listen to Taylor Swift and soothe the hysterical thirteen year old girl screaming inside of me right now."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Just don't blast that whole You Belong With Me shit," he laid back onto his pillows, "I have an exam tomorrow at ten."

"Ok!" She kissed his cheek, "Night Jak."

He yawned, stretching his arms up, "Night hun." He waved his fingers, "Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams," she tiptoed out of his room, quietly closing his door. She bounced to her room, dropping her phone onto her dresser. She changed into an over-sized jersey and walked over to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Minutes later, she returned to her room and plopped onto her bed. She grabbed her laptop from underneath the bed, placing it onto her lap. She put on Taylor Swift, and began to surf the Internet. In less than two minutes she had logged onto Facebook and began typing in a certain someone's name.

"S-e-s-s-h-o-m-a-r-u," she sounded out the letters of his name, typing them slowly into the search bar. She smiled as a picture of him in a black soccer jersey, with the name Takahashi on the back, showed up in the results. "So he's on the soccer team. Jesus, could this guy get even hotter?"

She clicked on his name, the screen changing to his profile. First, she started with profile pictures. She frowned as she changed to picture 13; it was of him in a navy suit, _swoon!, _with some girl hanging off his arm. She sighed; the girl was beautiful, wearing a purple skin-tight dress that hugged her curves, a gorgeous pair of black stilettos, teardrop diamond earrings _and_ impeccable makeup. "Goddamnit," she muttered bitterly, closing the photo. She switched to check his info, sighing with relief at his relationship status. _Single_. Thank Kami.

She then went to his wall, reading over his posts. A couple of guys talking about soccer practice, another guy, someone by the name of Jaken, spammed his wall with "funny" youtube videos, and finally, one girl asked if he wanted to join her study group for some architecture class. She couldn't help but read their wall-to-wall, which had simply consisted of her request to join and his response; a simple, '_fine._'. She almost grinned at the thought; _ha! He doesn't seem to like you very much! That means no hot make out session for you Ms. Bottle-Blonde-Join-My-Study-Group-Barbie. He's mine!_ She scrunched up her nose, "Kami," she muttered, slumping against her headboard, "I'm pathetic." Here she was, bash talking a perfectly nice girl because of _him_. "Augh."

Her hand hovered over her mouse, _wait a second. Could she add him yet? Would that be really creepy? Considering she had just learned his name like an hour ago! But then again, they did kiss. And he did ask her out to dinner! But wait... would he think that she was Facebook stalking him? Oh gosh, _she quickly closed her Internet browser, "No. Don't add him yet Rin. Don't be creepy. We'll see how dinner goes. Then we'll see."

She set her computer next to her, sprawling onto her twin-sized bed the best she could. She glanced over at her clock, _3:36! T-minus 15 hours and 24 minutes! _She giggled, jumping off her bed to shut off the lights. She settled back in, finding the sweet spot where her head was tilted back at that perfect angle. She closed her eyes, lying still, waiting for sleep to overcome her. "Hm," her fingers began to tap incessantly against her blanket, "Can't sleep." She frowned, starring up at her ceiling. "Count sheep Rin. That'll work... right?"

Fifteen minutes later she finally began to yawn, but more out of boredom than sleepiness. "Ninety-six. Ninety-seven. Ninety-augh." She pulled a pillow to her face, "Augh." Counting sheep _so _did not work.

"Hm," she tilted back her head, thinking. "I wonder where he's going to take me to dinner." He had mentioned downtown, but there were literally hundreds of restaurants to choose from. "Hm," her gaze fell to her closet, "Oh gosh." She bolted up from her bed, "What if he takes me out to a fancy dinner?" She opened the doors, sifting through her clothes. "I don't have anything fancy! Oh no!" She fell to her knees, opening the drawers to her dresser, flinging various pieces of clothing onto her floor. "Oh man, oh man, why didn't he mention where we're going!" She held up a blue dress to her body, looking at herself in the mirror. "Nope," she threw it behind her in the ever-growing pile of rejects, "Augh. Why don't I have anything to wear?"

Twenty minutes later, after searching her entire closet, she had finally found something worthy of a dinner date with Mr. History-Hottie. "Ah-ha!" With a gleam of success, she procured an ivory lace shift dress, which could be dressed up or down. "Perfect," she tried it on, making sure it looked impeccable from every angle. She put on gold-trimmed pearl earrings, and suede boots. "There." She mussed up her hair, pursing her lips as she looked at her appearance in the mirror. "Oh my god, really Rin?" She giggled, twirling, falling back onto her bed. She sighed, glancing back at the clock. _4:22. 14 hours and 38 minutes! _"Ack!" She let her legs dangle off the edge of her bed, "Still... can't... sleep."

She changed back into her pajamas, setting the dress, earrings and boots into a neat pile on her chair. "Hm," she leapt back onto her bed, day-dreaming about the up-coming date.

"Oh no," she murmured, looking at her clock. _5:17. _What if she had imagined the whole scenario? What if he had never talked to her? Had she imagined that kiss? What if it was a figment of her imagination? What if he didn't even exist! "Oh man," she was finding it harder to breath, "Oh no." _Was it possible? Was he simply a projection of her ideal man? _"Shit," she scrambled to get her computer, logging into the school's webpage and searched through her history class's roster. "Sesshomaru Takahashi." Number twenty-nine out of thirty-six students. She could never have thought up of a name like that anyhow. "Thank gosh," she murmured, logged off, and closed her computer. She set if back down on the floor, and continued to daydream.

"Shit!" She sat up straight in her bed, "What if he's actually like 50!" Maybe he was some kind of weird pervert that preyed on college girls! I mean, he had silver hair didn't he? _But he looked young... but Botox! Face-lifts! _"Shit!" She turned back on her computer, searching for his Facebook profile. She clicked info once more, sighing with relief at his birth date. November 15th, 1987. He was 24.

"Thank you Kami," she huffed, rubbing her temples. She frowned as she noted the time, _6:41. _"Augh," she needed to sleep. Two weeks of getting a mere five hours was finally catching up to her. She was going crazy! Insane! Not to mention her skin was losing its glow.

She yawned, stretching out her arms. _Finally, _she thought bitterly, the sun's beams blinding her through the cracks of her blinds, _she was finally sleepy. _And so she closed her eyes, getting the shut-eye she so desperately needed.

* * *

><p>"Rinnnn! Oh Rin!" A voice sang throughout the hallway and to her room, "Yo! Baby-cakes, I'm making French Toast with cinnamon! You want some?"<p>

Rin groaned, turning over onto her front side, "Mnnghhh."

"Er, huh?" Jakotsu peaked his head in, "Sorry babe, didn't catch that."

"Augh," she dragged her pillow over her head, blocking out the background noise of techno music and sizzling eggs.

"Come on Rin," he sang cheerfully, pulling at her blankets, "It's time for sleeping beauty to wake up!"

"Fine," she sighed, turning back onto her back. She was still for a moment before clutching her forehead, "What time is it?" she whined, blinking back the sleepies.

"Eight thirty! Up and at 'em sunshine. You've got that history midterm in less than a week, which I'm pretty sure you need to ace if not, suffer dire consequences in form of your GPA plummeting. Plus, you need to finish up a draft for your methods section of your thesis so..."

Rin glared at her friend as she sat up, throwing a stuffed dragon at his head, "Go away."

"Whoa," he held his hands up in defense, "you're the one who told me to wake you up at eight o'clock in the morning during exam week. But if I knew you were going to be cranky..."

"Augh," she hung her head, "I'm sorry Jak. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

He grinned, "No worries. Anyways," he held up his spatula, "French toast?"

She beamed, "Yes please! Just give me a sec to change."

"Well duh!" He waved his spatula in salute, walking out of her room.

Rin sighed, glancing over at her clock. She had gotten a meager hour and a half of sleep. Gosh, she thought, rubbing her eyes, hopefully she didn't have major bags under her eyes. She stretched out her arms as she got up from her bed, bending down to touch her toes. She winced as her back cracked, "Augh." She shook her head, "Getting old."

She shuffled to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, then changed into sweat pants and a Hello Kitty sweater. She shuffled out of the bathroom and then to the kitchen, where the smell of cinnamon and sugar was incredibly pleasing to her senses. "Wow Jak," she licked her lips in anticipation, "Smells yummy."

Jakotsu grinned, slathering his food in syrup, "Tastes good too!"

"Mm," she plopped down onto the chair, leaning down to sniff the heavenly scent, "I think you outdid yourself on this one."

"Why thank you sugar," he took a bite, "Fuck me. I'm a genius." He moaned happily, the both of them devouring the stack of toast in less than five minutes.

"So," he leaned back into his chair, propping up his feet on the table as Rin collected their dishes, "Are you excited for tonight?"

Rin grinned, "Yeah." She set the dishes in the sink, washing them, "Where do you think we're going?"

"Holiday Inn." Jakotsu replied, jumping up from his seat, "You're going to bang him on the first date aren't you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Geez Jak. Having Ban gone from your life this semester is making you sex-crazed."

He pouted, "I know. Damn boy, couldn't get a job in Tokyo so he had to go to Osaka." He sighed, stretching up his arms, "Well I'm gonna jet to the library, pull a quick thirty-minute study session then do my exam, care to join?"

Rin shook her head, "Nah. I have to go to the lab today," she bent down to give him a quick one-armed hug, "G'luck!"

"Thanks bb!"

Rin whistled as she changed into a purple jumper and black skinny jeans, tied her hair up into a neat ponytail and applied a light coat of lip-gloss onto her lips. She grabbed her coat and hiked her orange book-bag up onto her back as she began her trek to the Biology department. Ten minutes later she found herself in front of a large brick building, its grandeur both imposing and breathtaking. She pushed in the front doors, walking up the staircase to the top floor. She strode through the halls, pausing in front of room 304.

"Hello Kaede-sama," she greeted cheerfully, peeking her head into the door.

An older woman, dressed in a simple white sweater and beige slacks looked up from her computer, her eyes crinkling as she smiled, "Ah, Rin. Come in child," she motioned for her to enter, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. "How are you today?"

"Sleep-deprived," Rin replied honestly, slumping into the leather seat, "but I feel good about today. How about you?"

"Well, thank you." She picked up a file, taking out a couple of sheets, "Now, about your project. Your plants grew well over the weekend, so be sure you measure them and snip only the bottom two yellow leaves of pot D. Here are a couple of papers I want you to read before the end of the week. And also, Rin," she glanced back up, "Congratulations."

Rin blushed, "Wh-what?"_ How the heck did everyone know about her crush! Kaede hadn't seen her last page of her notebook last week, filled with Mrs. Green Shoes in twenty different styles... had she?_

Kaede raised a brow, "Your grant proposal. It's been accepted into the competition."

"Oh," Rin bit her lip, averting her gaze, _duh; gosh you're stupid sometimes._ "Right. Well," she bowed, taking the folder into her small hands, "I'll be working in the lab if you need me."

"Very well Rin. See you later."

"Mn," she stifled a yawn as she shuffled to the last door on the left, playing with her keys.

"Hey Rin!" A streak of orange hair flew by her, "Morning!"

Rin blinked, "Oh, hey Shippo." She smiled, "How goes the fish?"

Shippo stopped in his tracks as he blanched, "Horrible. Utterly horrible." He held up his hands to show a bag of fish, "Six of these puppies have died already and they're only two weeks old! I just don't get it."

Rin made a sympathetic face, "Well, have you checked the oxygen content of the tank? You could have some BOD you don't know about."

"Hm," he nodded, considering her idea, "Yeah! Great, thanks Rin! I owe you one!"

She grinned, "You can get me ice-cream."

He laughed, "Ya got it pal. Thanks!" He waved his hand before running back down to his end of the hall.

"Have fun!" Rin called out as she stuck her key in to open the door to her lab.

"Hello my pretty little flowers," she greeted, setting her bag onto her desk, "It's good to know you've all survived the weekend." She pushed up the sleeves to her sweater, grabbed a beaker and began to fill it up with her 'special' concoction. She walked up to her flowerpots, inspecting them for any signs of withering as she watered her plants.

"Good, you're all healthy! So," she turned back, flicking on her computer, "Do we want some classical? Some top 40? Some rap?" she glanced over to her shoulder, looking for any sign of confirmation, "Very well. Top 40 it is." She took a pair of scissors, snipping off a single petal and two leaves, before plopping into her seat. She flipped open the file, pulling out the rest of the sheets. She grimaced as she took out the papers she had to read; there were eighteen, with the majority of them over five pages long.

"Augh," she propped her feet up onto the empty chair next to her, "Great. Reading time for Rin."

It was around three when she finished reading those papers. "Finally," she muttered, resting her head atop of her forearms. She yawned, her eyelids feeling heavy. She felt drowsy, and most of all, in need of a good nap. She glanced up at the clock, _3:06. Ok, _she reasoned; she could take a quick half-hour nap before going back to work and then... she couldn't help but grin, _dinner!_ She yawned once more, setting her phone's alarm for a half-an-hour. "Ok Rinny, nap time. Then finish up work. And then, time to get ready for your dinner with Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome!" She giggled, settling her head in the crook of her arms.

* * *

><p>"Rin! Rin! Dear child, wake up!"<p>

Rin shot up from her seat, "Hai!" She flailed her arms, stumbling over her chair, "Gomen!"

Kaede raised her brow, "My dear, it's nearly seven, what are you still doing here?"

Rin's eyes widened in shock, "Huh?" She picked up her phone, noting the time. _6:49. Shit! She had turned her phone on silent! That's why she didn't wake up at 3:30!_ "Shit! Shit!" She grabbed her bag, rushing out the door, "So sorry for cursing Kaeda-sama! But I gotta go! You see, I have this date with this really, really hot guy that's in my history class and I've had this huge crush on him forever and like, augh, he's really cute, and he's... and I just," she bowed for a brief second, "I have to go! Sorry!" She squealed as she ran out the building, rushing up to her dorm in a mere two minutes.

Kaede shook her head in disbelief, watching as the girl flew past her, "What an odd girl."

"Oh no, oh shit, oh shit," Rin ran up the dorm stairs, throwing open her door and began to fling off her clothes. "Oh shit, why didn't I shower this morning!" she lamented, jumping into the shower and quickly washed herself. "Oh gosh, oh gosh," her heart was beating like crazy as she rushed into her bedroom, toweling herself off as she put on the bare minimum of make-up. She briefly looked out her window, cursing as she noted a familiar silver-haired beauty leaning against the lamppost.

"Shit!" she whimpered, "he's here!" _Oh Kami, what to do, what to do! Oh hell, _she lifted up her window, hanging her head over the side, "Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru looked up, smirking as he noted a towel wrapped around her head, "Rin. I presume you're not ready?"

"No, I'm not." She bit her lip, "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. I'll be down in like five minutes, I promise."

"Take your time."

"Thanks! I'll be down soon! I promise! Just, stay there." She quickly changed into her white dress, thanking Kami that at least she had the sense to choose her outfit before hand. She threw on a pair of black tights, an orange necklace, and her brown boots. She quickly towel dried her chocolate tresses and grabbed a blue pea coat from her closet. "Ok," she took a second to inspect herself in the mirror, "Passable."

"Oh god," her hands were shaking as she locked the door, "He's here! We're actually going on a date!" She squealed, running down the stairs until she reached the front door. She took a moment to compose herself before she began a nicely paced walk towards him.

"Hi!" She greeted cheerfully, waving her hand, "You look great!" _Great. Really? Great? Biggest understatement of the year. The guy looked like a frigging model. _He wore black jeans, a purple-checkered shirt, a chunky wool cardigan and his signature blue jacket. She swallowed, _shit; I think I might faint, _"Really great."

"As do you," his tone was silky smooth, sending shivers down her spin as he took a step forward. He took her hand to place a kiss on her palm, "You look lovely."

Rin felt her cheeks warm at his comment, "Thank you," she replied meekly, her knees turning to jello. Hell, her whole body was just a melted blob when he was near her. "So..." _talk Rin! Talk!_ "Uhm, so what are our plans for this evening?"

"Well," he kept his hold of her hand as they walked down the path, "I thought I'd take you to Trattoria, it's an Italian restaurant in Shibuya."

"Yum," Rin grinned, "Sounds amazing!" Her mouth watered at the thought. _Oh man, I'm starving! _"So how was your day today?"

"Tedious and much too long. Yourself?"

She nodded, "Oh, I hear ya sista." She frowned, "Er... I mean brotha... I mean, not that I consider you to be my brother or anything. Cause that would be kinda weird right? I mean, a brother and sister going on a date right? Unless..." she cocked her head to the side, an inquisitive look on her face, "this isn't a date?"

Sesshomaru chuckled, "Are you always so entertaining when you're nervous?"

"Mngh," Rin was beat red, _oh god Rin, you were a lot better when you couldn't talk around him! Now you can't shut up! What is wrong with you woman! _"Sorry."

"You apologize much too often," he noted, "And Rin," he stopped walking, gently tugging her into arms reach, "Would a brother kiss his sister like this?" He leant down to take her lips, pulling away after a brief moment.

"Well... technically, if they were incestuous."

Sesshomaru raised a brow, "You amuse me," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Come, my car is over there."

Rin sighed, shaking her head as she followed him to the parking lot. _Really Rin? Incest on the first date! I swear you need to be in a mental hospital. _She watched Sesshomaru go around to the driver's side of a relatively new Honda Civic, so she walked over to the passenger side, waiting patiently for him to open the doors.

"Rin?" Sesshomaru glanced over at her, "That's not my car."

"Huh?" She looked up at him, noting that he had not opened the driver's side of the Civic, but was holding open the passenger's side door of a sleek, black SUV. "Oh," she giggled, "Thanks," she climbed into the Land Rover, noting the leather seats and glossy wooden interior. "Wow," she murmured, running her hands over the seat, "This is really soft."

"I'm glad you approve," he replied, gently closing the door. He jumped into the driver's seat, starting the engine with a quick press of a button. "The restaurant's about fifteen minutes away from the university," he told her, pulling out onto the main road.

"Ok!" Rin leant back into her seat, kicking her feet back and forth, "So what's your living situation like?"

"Well, I live in a..." he frowned, pausing for a moment, "apartment downtown with a good friend of mine."

"Awesome!" She grinned, sitting erect, "Man, if I had a car I'd definitely want to be off campus too. You can only take so much, ya know?"

"I'm sure it has its upsides."

She laughed, "Oh, definitely. Especially when you're in need of a good nap before your next class."

He smirked, looking over at her, "Perhaps I'll take you up on that one day."

Rin's jaw slackened, just imagining him in her bed, _Kami. _"It's... my bed's only a twin."

He chuckled, "We'll make it work."

"Hnng," her cheeks turned bright red at his comment, so she turned to face the windows. _Him. In my bed. Haaaaa... _"Kami," she murmured as she tugged off her scarf, setting it onto her lap, "It's getting kinda hot in here."

He glanced over, "Hn, your heated seat is on."

"Oh," she leaned over to flick it off before she began to stare out of the tinted-black windows. _Frig, this just gets worse and worse doesn't it? Can I get an AWKWARD or what? Speak! _"Um," she peeked her chocolate orbs over to him, "did you know that female spotted hyenas have pseudo-penises?"

He raised his eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yeah!" She clutched the bottom of the leather seat, "So when they mate, it's a penis in a penis. Weird, huh?"

"Indeed. Is this a fact that all botany majors know?"

"Of course!" She giggled, "I have tons more in my arsenal. Like, male giraffes are gay 70% of the time! So when they feel like getting it on, they'll hit the female giraffe's hindquarters and she'll be spooked and pee a little. Then the males can smell if the female's in heat or not, and if not, they'll get it on with a male."

Sesshomaru laughed, "Any more?"

Rin beamed, "Heck yes. There's this rare squid species deep in the bottom of the ocean, that when they meet any thing, they'll squirt it with semen regardless of gender, or species."

"And why's that?"

"Well, they think it's because it's so dark that by ejecting their semen onto other squids and stuff, they'll be a better chance for them to father some eggs."

"Interesting." He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, raking his brain for any facts, "Well, did you know that optometrists are the least likely to get a divorce?"

"Hm," she tapped her index finger against her lip, "I can see that. You get paid as much as a doctor, but without the stress and long hours."

"Indeed. Doctors and lawyers are most likely to divorce."

"For sure." She stuffed her hands into her pockets, she laughed, "Good thing I'm not going to medical school huh?"

"Indeed. We're here," he told her as he pulled into a small alleyway.

Rin peaked up, cooing at the adorable restaurant front, "Aw! It's like we're in Italy!"

Sesshomaru glanced over at her, feeling the corner of his lips lift as she continued to talk about the restaurant. _She's charming, _he mused as he hopped out of the SUV and opened her door.

She grinned as she thanked him, "This place looks amazing! How did you find it?"

"My father took his wife here for their first date." He held the door open for her as she walked through the archway, "I thought I might as well follow in his footsteps."

Rin nearly swooned, "That's so," _absolutely romantic? Cute? Heart clenchingly adorable? _"Amazing."

"Hn," he nodded to a man who stood behind a podium, "Just a moment, I'll talk to the maitre-de."

"Of course," she sat onto the wooden bench, her stomach growling at the delicious aromas in the air. She moaned as a waiter walked past with a tray filled to the brim of pasta. "Oh man, this place is awesome!" She clasped her hands together, feeling even more eager to eat supper.

"Rin?" Sesshomaru walked back and held out his hand, "Come. Our table is ready."

Rin beamed as they walked through the restaurant and into the garden, where a small dining room table was set and adorned with a red and white checkered tablecloth and flickering tea candles. "Wow," she thanked him as he pulled out her seat, "did you do all of this?"

He smirked, pushing in her seat, "I had some help." He took her coat, handing it to the maitre-de. He took his seat across from her, picking up his menu.

"Good evening." A waiter walked through the glass doors, "Welcome to Trattoria. Would you like to start with any appetizers?" he asked, taking out his notepad.

Sesshomaru looked up from his menu, "Rin?"

"Mm," she glanced down at her menu, reading over the choices, "Oh, it all looks delicious."

"Are you hungry?"

Rin grinned, "Starving actually. I only had breakfast today."

He nodded, "Very well. Bruschetta con Crema di Agliotoa."

"Yes, yes of course." The waiter scratched it in quickly, "And wine?"

"Sauvignon Blanc."

"Excellent choice sir. I'll be back shortly," he bowed, leaving the garden.

"This is so pretty," Rin murmured, looking around at the flowers. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Of course," Sesshomaru replied, taking her hand. "You're heart is racing," he noted, his thumb flesh against her wrist.

"Hai," she began, lowering her gaze, "you make me nervous."

He arched his brow, "Do I?" He was about to continue when the waiter returned with the appetizer and wine. He set the plates in front of them, and poured the glasses. "I will be back."

"Hn," Sesshomaru watched as Rin chewed her bread.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, licking her lips for crumbs. "It's really good."

He smiled, "I apologize. It seems my mind is easily distracted in the presence of a beautiful woman."

She giggled, "Well, it just so happens her brain turns to mush when she's around handsome men such as yourself."

Sesshomaru smirked, leaning forward to pick up a piece of bruschetta. "You're right," he told her, taking a bite, "It's delicious."

* * *

><p>They finished their meal with pasta and champagne. As the tiramisu was served, Rin sipped her wine and glanced around the garden. <em>Irises, peonies, roses, and orchids. <em>"This is beautiful," she gestured to the room, "I'd love to have a garden like this someday."

"Hn," Sesshomaru dismissed the waiter with a wave of his hand, "Care for some dessert?"

"Oh, yes," she picked up her fork, digging into the moist cake. "Gosh, this is yummy," she moaned, taking another bite.

He took a bite from her fork that she offered him, "Indeed it is." He captured her hand, his lips brushing the inside of her wrist. Timidly, she drew back her hand, setting it on her lap. The flickering candles, the champagne, the food, the merging aroma of the restaurant and the flowers, the way his gaze met hers - it was a night she'd never forget.

She bit back a yawn, hiding it with her hand. Sesshomaru chuckled as he rose and pulled out her chair, "Come. Let's go for a walk before you fall asleep in your cake." Hand in hand they walked to the park. They stopped at a large cherry blossom tree, Sesshomaru setting down his jacket for them to sit upon.

She laid her head atop of his shoulder, looking out at the sea of lights. She peaked her eyes over at him, wondering if he knew the effect he had on her. Her lips curled, tucking her fingers into her pocket; would she be able to look at the stars again without thinking of him?

"Are you cold?" Sesshomaru asked as she shivered, running his hand along the length of her arm. "You're shaking." He pulled back, taking off his jacket and set it atop of her small form. She blushed, tempted to smell the wool but that'd be far too embarrassing, "Thank you," she whispered, slipping it around her thin shoulders.

"Hn." He leant back, resting his head atop the cool grass. She glanced to her left, noting that he had lain down. _Do I lie down too? Or do I stay like this? Can I snuggle? _Rin blushed as their eyes met and he patted the spot next to him. _Guess I can snuggle! _She settled next to him, the intoxicating smell of his cologne and aftershave was almost mind numbing. Hesitantly, she raised her head, setting it atop of his chest. He tensed for a brief moment, before bringing his hand to play with her long hair. Relaxing, Rin felt the remnants of the champagne mist pleasurably in her head.

"You're so dreamy," she murmured sleepily, her fist curled around his sweater.

He chuckled, raising his head to rest on his left arm, "Am I? Do you dream of me often, Rin?"

She nodded, "Hai." She yawned, her mind hazing with sleep, "All the time."

"What do you dream of?" His voice sounded far away, deep, and smooth.

"Puppies." She giggled, "We have a two-headed puppy named Ah-Uhn. We live in a castle, maybe with a moat filled with koi fish. And sometimes," she giggled, "You're a demon with elf ears. Kinda like Orlando Bloom in Lord of The Rings. Ya know, he was the only reason I watched those movies."

"Anything else?" He asked as she felt his fingers brush against her forehead.

"Mm," she felt her eyelids droop heavily. She fought to keep her eyes open but it was a losing battle. "Well. You know, I've had a crush on you forever. Since like September."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup." She yawned once more, her hand now splayed against his warm torso, "I think I'm falling asleep," she whispered, her vision spotting black, "I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru wrapped his hand around hers, "Don't be."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Rin felt herself being carried up a flight of stairs. In her blurry memory, she heard muted voices and before she knew it, her head was against a cold, plush pillow. Her eyelids fluttered as she peaked through, the silhouette of a man portrayed as the hallway lights leaked through her door.<p>

"Sesshomaru?" Her voice was scratchy as she struggled to sit up.

He turned back around, his silver hair almost blonde in the light. "Rin? I apologize for waking you."

She shook her head, "No. No." She rubbed her face, trying to wake up, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I just, I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so excited for tonight that I ruined tonight by falling asleep and I just..." her speech trailed off as she noticed she was still wrapped up in his coat. She turned her head and then noticed a single sakura blossom resting on her nightstand. Her breath hitched as she peaked back up, confusion and wonderment sparkling through her coffee colored eyes.

Sesshomaru walked over to her, leaning down to cup her chin. "Rin. Tonight was delightful. I fully intend to see you again, that is if you'd have me."

Rin grinned, "Well... I guess. Since you asked so nicely."

"Very well," he replied, lifting up her comforter, "Friday?"

She bit her lip, allowing him to tuck her into her bed. "Sounds great. You didn't happen to change me into my pajamas, did you?"

He chuckled, this time taking her lips. "No." He kissed her forehead, "Have a goodnight Rin." He smirked, "And sweet dreams."

She knit her brows, "Sweet dreams to you too?" _Oh no, oh no. _She struggled to remember what had happened only moments ago, _what did I say?_

"Rin, one last thing," he leant against her door frame, playing with his keys as he smirked, "If it's alright with you, I'd prefer human ears tonight, and perhaps just a one-headed dog. Two-heads seem too much to handle."

Rin's cheeks flamed red as her eyes widened at his comment, "Nngh."

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><p>Hurrah! Thanks for reading! More to come :)<p>

xoxo

paizley


	3. E

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine T.T

Bad author, I know. But hopefully this makes you smile and forget that you're mad at me for taking so long! This was inspired by one of you lovely reviewers who requested Sesshomaru's version of the last chapters, so voila!

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><p>Rin chewed her lip nervously as she sat in the rickety velvet settee, her fingers tapping on her lap.<p>

"Alright Ms. Nakamura, you are officially enrolled in History 2114," the middle-aged woman smiled as she looked up from the computer, "Congratulations."

Rin smiled back politely, "Uh, thanks."

"Of course. The history of Japan is full and vibrant. A young woman such as yourself should find it very interesting."

"Er... yeah. I hope so," Rin lifted her backpack onto her shoulder, "I better get going, I have class in ten minutes."

"Alright Ms. Nakamura," the woman stood up and extended her hand, "Have a good day."

"Thanks!" Rin shook her hand politely, "You too." She sighed as she opened the glass door, walking out into the crowded hallway. "The history of Japan," she muttered, reading over her class schedule until it was ingrained into her memory. "Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday." Gosh, she hoped that it was interesting. _Why oh why did she have to take electives anyways?_ She continued walking, her gaze set on the yellow page, unknowingly walking into something warm and hard. She let out a squeal as she promptly fell onto her backside, the paper landing on top of her chest.

"Are you alright?" A male voice came above of her, his smell dizzying, electrifying.

"Huh?" Rin's head cocked to the side, but in doing so, knocked her head against that someone's chin. "Oh," Rin groaned, rubbing her forehead, "Ouch." She moaned, her gaze falling upon a pair of grey sneakers, "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry," she stumbled to gather her notebooks that spilt out of her bag, "I'm so sorry."

The man grimaced as he pulled back, rubbing his chin, "It's fine," he muttered, holding out his hand, "Here, let me help you up."

Rin blushed as she took his hand, it was warm and lightly calloused. She swallowed nervously as she peaked up to look at him, her heart nearly stopping as he pulled her up, "Th-thanks..." she murmured, her voice trailing off. "I didn't mean to walk into you. I guess my head was in the clouds. You know, school starting this week and stuff, you know?"

He smirked, "It happens to the best of us."

"Uh-huh," her voice was strained as her eyes travelled up and down. Whoever he was, he was undeniably the best looking man she had ever laid her eyes upon. His hair was shiny and silver, his features sharp and well-defined. His eyes were breathtaking, a stormy mix of amber and gold. He was certainly tall and from her spot on the floor, she estimated that he was well over 6 feet. He wore a black sweater that looked oh so soft and revealed his oh so toned upper body, and slim navy jeans that probably cost more than her own entire outfit. _Gosh, who knew someone could look so good?_ "Um, thanks again," she mumbled, averting her gaze from his, "Uh, I have to go... class... and stuff." She bowed her head, "Thanks for helping me up!" she squeaked as she ran to her next class.

The man raised his brow, bending down to pick up the yellow sheet of paper the girl had forgotten. "History of Japan, hn," he walked into the office from which the girl had walked out of, folding the sheet into his pocket.

* * *

><p>"Sesshomaru, this better be an easy ass class," Kouga muttered as he walked through the labyrinth of desks towards the back.<p>

"It is, don't worry," Sesshomaru replied, not taking any notice to the myriad of whispers that came about as they walked past. "Is that him? Squee!" "He's so hot!" "Yeah, but so is his friend!" "Oh my god, it's actually him!"

"Heh," Kouga rolled his eyes as he set his backpack down, unbuttoning his black jacket, "I could have taken art with Ayame. Just so you know."

"Yes Kouga, I am fully aware that you could have taken that class with your girlfriend. For that, I am forever grateful." His reply was laced with sarcasm, his eyes trained on the door. _Girl with red hair, not her. Boy with a horrid fashion sense, not her. Girl in a kitten sweater and muffin top, definitely not her. Girl with brown hair, pink shoes, her? No. Not her. Damn._

Kouga snorted, pulling out his laptop, "Whatever man. One day you'll be just as whipped as I am and then who'll be laughing? Me. That's who."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, looking down to check his Rolex, "And is it worth it?"

Kouga grinned wolfishly, holding up two fingers, "Pussy every fucking day and she bakes me cookies. What more could a man want?"

Sesshomaru scoffed, playing with his pen while they waited for the class to start. _Where is she?_

"Hello class," an elderly man called out as he dawdled into the classroom, his cane slowly dragging behind him, creating black streaks onto the white linoleum tiles, "And welcome... to Feudal Japan!" He clapped his hands furiously, the lights turning off, sounds of thunder pounding through the aging sound system, the flickering of two lanterns near the chalkboard casting shadows overhead. "Now, the year is 1185..."

Kouga groaned as he slouched into his seat, "What the fuck man? What is this shit? He's wearing a fucking yukuta."

"Hn," Sesshomaru was equally as irritated, narrowing his eyes as he tried to make out the words the professor wrote on the chalkboard. _Was that an I or a T?_

"Gomen," a soft voice came from the front. Sesshomaru looked up and smirked as he spotted a small brunette sneak into the front row, where she settled in the desk closest to the door. _So she's here._

Kouga starred back at his friend in disbelief, shaking his head, "You fucking perked up."

Sesshomaru growled, turning his head, "What?"

"I said you fucking perked up." Kouga smiled broadly, resting his head against his palm, "You made me take this fucking class so you could hook up with that orange-sweater chick didn't you? Fuck that's smart. Wait until Ayame hears about this. The all-mighty Sesshomaru Takahashi, self-proclaimed ice-prince, fell for a girl with a fucking side-ponytail."

Sesshomaru growled, kicking Kouga's chair, "Shut up," his tone was deadly as he spoke.

"Whatever man, I'm just glad you're finally getting some action." He laughed, writing his notes with ease, "Maybe that stick up in your ass will finally go away."

Sesshomaru snarled, breaking his pen in two. _Calm. Think calm thoughts._ "If you don't shut up I'll tell Ayame what happened at Miroku's party last week."

Kouga sputtered, "What? Come on man, that hippo was huge as fuck. You know that I did not have any intentions on getting it on with her. Fuck! She was so hammered and so fucking horny! Do you know how hard I tried to get away? Plus, she was so huge that I had to get Miroku and your idiot brother to haul her off of me."

Sesshomaru smirked as he remembered the night, folding his arms, "At least we agree on one point."

Kouga cocked his head, "That your brother's an idiot?"

"Hn."

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><p>Kouga sniggered as he watched Sesshomaru rush up to the front, but once again, was too late. The girl in the orange-something had already left the room, hell the building, leaving only pencil shavings on her desk. "This is pathetic," Kouga shook his head, trailing behind Sesshomaru as he walked to the front of the classroom. "It's been three months. Three months and you haven't even spoken with her."<p>

Sesshomaru frowned, shrugging on his navy blue wool coat. _Kami, she was fast._

"Where are your balls? You're Sesshomaru fucking Takahashi. You could have any girl. A-n-y. And you can't talk to her? I don't get it." He held up his hands in disgust, "I just don't get it."

Ayame smiled as she met them by the door, tucking her hand into Kouga's, "I think it's sweet." She laid her head against Kouga's shoulders, thanking him as he took hold of her school bag, "He's so enchanted by her that he can't even speak."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, "She comes into the classroom the very last minute and then bolts the minute it's over. When would I ever talk to her?"

"I don't know. Skip class and wait for her by the door? Just man up." Kouga smirked, throwing his arm around her shoulders, "And FYI, Ayame's staying over tonight. Her roommate's having some kind of group meeting all-nighter thing for their psych class."

"Great," Sesshomaru muttered, stuffing his hands into his coat pocket, "Fucking great." Ayame sleeping over was synonymous for loud, noisy sex. Kami, how he loathed nights like that. "I'll see you guys later," he said, walking to his next class.

Later that night, after finishing a thirteen page essay for one of his classes, Sesshomaru leant against his leather seat, starring up at his vaulted ceiling. He took off his headphones, the dull pain of having plastic shoved into his ear for six straight hours resonating within. He let out a deep exhale, relishing in the flood of relaxation that eased the strain caused by writing that horrid paper. "Thank fucking god that's over," he muttered, quickly typing up an e-mail to his professor and attached the essay. In a moment his nightmare was over, and he lifted himself off of the leather seat. He rubbed his neck in an attempt to rid himself of the aching knots, unbuttoning his shirt with his free hand.

"Yes! Oh!" A female voice pierced the once quiet penthouse, Sesshomaru's body tensing in response. He growled as he began to hear the moans, the grunts, the screams of pleasure. "Fuck," he cursed, glaring at his door.

"Baby! Yes! Harder, ungh!" He pinched his nose, annoyed; it was past midnight and he had classes the next day at eight-thirty. Why in seven hells did they have to be so loud?

"Yes! Kouga-kun! Uhn!"

_Correction_, he thought bitterly, _why did she have to be so loud?_ Sesshomaru clenched his fists, now hearing Kouga's sounds of pleasure. "Yes baby, fuck, like that. Fuck!"

"Damnit," he tossed back on his shirt, throwing over his black Lacoste sweater overtop. There was no way in hell that he was staying here. Not when they were furiously going at it like teenagers who just discovered the art of sex.

Furious, he grabbed his coat and gym bag, slamming the door to his room. He made his way down the stairs, grabbing his keys before leaving through the double doors. He took the stairs to the car park, where he jumped into his black SUV. He glared at his dashboard as he started the vehicle, the neon lights screaming to him that it was 12:50 am.

"Fucking Wolfe," he growled, speeding off to the gym. Four minutes later he arrived, opening his trunk to grab his bag. He locked the doors and walked through the building, stuffing his headphones back into his ears. He held out his ID for the girl at the front, not bothering with the mundane chit-chat about the stress wrought by midterm season.

His nose scrunched up distastefully as he walked in towards the dressing room, keeping his gaze set in front of him. He blocked out the sweaty men and women with their nauseating scents of cologne, perfume and body odor. He quickly changed into his workout clothes, tying his hair up in a ponytail before he walked through the labyrinth of elliptical machines, treadmills, and stationary bicycles. He hopped onto a rowing machine and began his typical routine of twenty minutes here, ten minutes at the pull-up bar, free-weights, twenty minutes at the treadmill, and then he'd head home and pray to Kami that his roommate and his girlfriend were done with their _own_ workout.

However, something happened that day as he walked past the cardio machines, something that didn't follow his normal routine; he spotted _her_. She was running on the treadmill, headphones in her ears, wearing an orange hoodie and black shorts that hugged the perfect curve of her bottom. He smirked, feeling her gaze following him as he walked up to the chin up bar. Through the corner of his eyes he watched as she watched him, slowing down her pace on the treadmill, and her near tumble when she stopped running altogether. He chuckled to himself, bringing his head up and past the bar; so maybe Kouga and Ayame going at it like rabbits wasn't a bad thing after-all.

* * *

><p>"Come on man, you've basically been in your room for two weeks. It's fucking pathetic. Just come with me to Miroku's! You've been studying all fucking week for this exam. Just get laid, de-stress, and you'll be set for tomorrow morning."<p>

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, looking over to Kouga who sat on top of his bed, "No."

"_She_ might be there!"

Sesshomaru contemplated for a moment, _was it truly plausible? Could she actually be there?_ "Fine."

"Yeah?" Kouga jumped up and slapped his knee, beaming happily, "Awesome man, I'm going to change into something else so wait for me by the door ok?"

"Hn," Sesshomaru groaned, glancing over at his clock. It was nearly midnight, on the night before his exams no less, and he was going to Miroku's for a party. How in the hell did he let Kouga talk him into this?

Twenty minutes later, Sesshomaru found himself regretting to agree to come to this party. He stifled a yawn, waiting for the girl in front of him to finish her rant. "Yeah, so like we went to Greece and it was so awesome. Like, Kimi was wearing this hideous Gucci mess, and Lee and I were totally laughing about it later. Major faux-pas. Like, she looked like a fish! No joke," her laugh was nasally, her red-painted nails clutched tightly into his arm, "You totes should have been there. Everyone who was anyone was there. Not the new money though, they're a bit classless don't you think?" She cackled, delighted with her own joke, "But maybe you'll be there next time, right?" She flipped her luscious red locks, batting her long eyebrows seductively, "We could you know, go halfsies on the lovers suite."

"Hn," Sesshomaru grunted, finding her shrill voice tedious and nerve-racking, and began to look for a way out. He scanned the room for any familiar face, smirking as his gaze set upon a certain silver-haired man. "I'd like to introduce you to someone," he murmured, steering her towards the man who was currently trying to hit on, though unsuccessfully, a tall brunette. She wore a slinky gold dress, her shiny black hair to her waist, her tanned body glistening with sparkles.

"Inuyasha," he greeted, holding back his urge to sneer distastefully at his half-brother's outfit of choice - a red suit of all things - and held out his hand, "This is Yuri." He detached himself from her firm grasp, thanking Kami that he was finally free, "Why don't you bore him." He promptly left the threesome, weaving through the rooms until he reached the front door. _Kami,_ he thought, _thank god he didn't have to deal with her anymore._

"Yo, man!" Miroku's voice called through the foyer, "Where are you going? Didn't you and Kouga just get here?"

Sesshomaru growled, pulling on his coat, "Perhaps you've been slapped around so many times that you've become an vacuous imbecile and have failed to come to the realization that I'm leaving."

Miroku snorted, sipping his beer, "If I hadn't known you for thirteen years I'd be insulted. But since I do, I'm truly flattered. I do believe that's the longest sentence you've ever spoke to me."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, fishing for his keys in the crystalline bowl by the door, "Hn."

"What I want to know," Miroku sang out, leaning against the tall floral arrangement, "Is why you dumped that chick, who we both know was down for a good time, onto your brother."

"Half-brother."

"Whatever. Either way you just turned down pussy. And not easy pussy - she's a Hirai. Sure she's a high-class, frigid bitch if you ask me, but she's not easy. If anything, she was certainly warming up to you. I believe that her lovely friend in that delightfully purple mini skirt called it a match made in heaven?"

"Hn," Sesshomaru placed his hand onto the handle, pushing out, "Anything else?" He asked sarcastically, "Perhaps you'd like to comment on the weather?"

"No." Miroku grinned, folding his arms, "Just tell me her name."

Sesshomaru froze, "What?"

Miroku laughed, clapping his friend's back, "That's what I thought. Go get 'em tiger. You're a fucking beast. I just hope that she can handle your cold but great ass."

Sesshomaru played with his keys, half-in shock and half-in disgust by Miroku's comments. "Thanks," he muttered, walking out of the grandiose mansion. He stuffed his hands into his jeans, glancing back at the pulsating lights and music that came from the ballroom. What the hell did that girl do to him? Here he was, leaving a party at 12:40 because of her. Her and her stupid orange colored everything, her big doe eyes, her angelic voice, her legs, and her ass. Her perfect little ass. Kami, did he mention her eyes? How she looked like a deer caught in headlights? She was so small, so fragile, so... "Fuck it," he murmured, punching his key into the ignition; he was going to speak to her today if it was the last thing he did.

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><p>Sesshomaru held out his ID, feeling the adrenaline rush through his system. "Quick question," he spoke low, eyeing the boy's name-tag, "Souta. Did a girl walk in here with long black hair?"<p>

The boy at the counter blinked, "Uh... well a lot of girls have long black hair. It's Japan. But I don't know man, maybe? There's only four people in the gym right now anyways."

He growled, annoyed with the boy's answer, "Never mind then." He pushed through the glass doors, scanning the gym for any sign of the mystery girl._ Fat guy doing sit-ups on a yoga mat. Girl with blonde hair on the treadmill. Guy doing pull-ups, but by the looks of it, unsuccessfully. Damn. She's not here._

"Hi!" Sesshomaru raised his brow, _that voice!_ He looked down, smirking as his gaze settled on _her_. She wore a green peacoat overtop her peach sweater and leggings, her brown leather boots dusted with the remnants of the fresh snowfall.

"Hi," he replied, noting that her cheeks were red, though he was unsure whether it was from the cold or from talking to him.

"Uhmm, it's... it's, it's getting kinda chilly outside, isn't it?" She stuttered, her brown eyes wide and cautious.

"Indeed it is," he smirked, hell, maybe he even smiled. He pulled off his beanie, thanking Kami that he followed his gut and went to the gym.

"The gym."

He quirked his brow, the statement certainly unexpected, "Yes. This is the gym."_ This girl,_ he thought, _there was something about her that was... different._

"Oh my god," the girl hid her face in her hands, mortified, "I'm so sorry." And then, just like that, she was gone.

Sesshomaru blinked, running his hand through his hair, "Damn." Well that didn't turn out as expected. He shrugged, unfazed, _well at least he finally talked to her_, he thought, walking towards the men's locker room. He changed into his typical gym attire and headed back out. His eyes swept over the gym, looking for any signs of the girl-he-now-spoke-to-so-was-not-as-mysterious. "Nothing," he muttered, jumping onto a treadmill. He put in his headphones to drown out the background music, the whirring of the machines, and the voices from the TVs.

An hour later he found himself in front of the mirrored-wall, lifting free weights. Through the corner of his eye he spotted a certain girl walk hesitantly towards the water fountain, to which he stood conveniently beside. He smirked and quickly went in line, just in time for the girl to stand behind him. When the girl in front of him finished filling her water bottle he stepped back and gestured towards the fountain, "After you."

"Huh?" The girl nearly jumped out of her own skin, shooting up to look at him, "Oh, uh thanks," she mumbled, leaning down to drink some water, but by doing so, exposed her pert bum. He couldn't help but smirk, admiring the way that the spandex fitted perfectly over her lace trimmed underwear. "Uhm, thanks again," she whispered, stepping back.

He nodded,_ it's now or never_. "You're in my history class."

"Uh, yeah." She blushed, nervously playing with her hair. Kami, he loved it when she blushed. It led him to wonder if only her cheeks became red when she was flustered...

"And you study at the gym?" He spotted the familiar textbook in her hands._ So she's academic. Another plus; he was sick of the air-headed socialites._

"Huh?" She looked down, almost as if she forgot that the textbook was in her hands, "Oh. Yeah." She tucked her bangs to the side as she spoke, "The exam's soon."

"Indeed it is," he bent down to take a sip, finding himself parched. "Are you majored in history?"

She snorted, shaking her head, "No." She played with her bracelet, "Not at all."

He chuckled lightly, continuing their conversation. In the short span of three minutes he found out that she majored in botany, her ears were pierced twice, she had a nervous habit of biting her bottom lip, and that she blinked twice as often when she was thinking. Soon he found himself looking down into her brown doe eyes, a mere two inches from her petite form. He ached to hold her, to touch her skin, to see if it was truly as soft as he thought it to be.

"Yo, you two going to make out or can I get some fucking water?"

And just like that the moment was gone and tragically, so was she. Sesshomaru growled, irritated by the man's interruption. "Was that truly necessary?" he hissed, narrowing his eyes in disgust at the meathead and his Ed Hardy attire.

The meathead's response was a mere grunt, moving his bulky frame towards the fountain. "I was fucking thirsty, so sue me pretty boy."

Sesshomaru glared back at him, knowing he could snap his non-existent neck in two. He cursed, _fuck it, I'm better than him_, he thought, and ran over to the locker rooms to grab his gym bag and coat. He was going to take Kouga's advice and "man up". He pushed through the doors of the gym, checking the snow-covered ground for evidence of fresh footprints. When he found none he leant against the brick wall, waiting. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out, checking through the messages he had amassed during his impromptu trip to the gym.

_'Yo man, where the fuck are you? Hippo chick is here again and Ayame is about to start a fight with her. I need your help!' - Kouga_

_'Dude, what the fuck? That red-haired bitch was a fucking nightmare! Why the fuck did you try and sick her on me? Fuck you bro.' - Idiot_

_'Uncool. You left. If it was to study for your fucking exam I'll kill you. But if it's because you're boning some chick, then bravo.' - Kouga_

He rolled his eyes, deleting the remaining messages in his inbox from his idiotic brother and roommate. He looked up when he heard the sounds of the doors open, nearly smiling, "There you are." He walked over to her, placing his phone in his pocket, "Are you going to make it a habit of running away from me?"

"I..."

He wrapped his hand around her arm, knowing that if he didn't, she would have run. "Stay," he murmured, smirking when he felt her relax and mutter her response. "Do you live on campus?" he asked, grabbing ahold of her textbook. He looked to her for confirmation, noting that she wasn't very good at communicating verbally when she was nervous, "Very well. I'll walk you to your dorm." He began to walk, but three paces in he looked back and noticed that she stood rooted to her original position. He raised a brow, amused, "Are you coming?"

"I..." she stammered, hesitating, scuffing her heeled boot against the snow, "I don't even know your name."

_Ah yes, stranger danger._ "Sesshomaru."

"Rin," she tried to compose herself, tried to stop that incessant blush from reappearing, "My name is Rin."

He chuckled to himself, "Rin." _Companion. Her name means companion. _He shook his head, it seemed the gods were laughing today, "Very well Rin, to your dorm." He held her hand, it was so small in his, but it felt right. _She_ felt right. Soon enough they were in front of her dorm, and he knew that he had to leave a lasting impression on her. And so he did, he turned to face her, watching as her pupils dilated, her pulse quicken, her lips part, and kissed her. Finally, after three long months of waiting, he felt her soft, luscious lips upon his. She moaned pleasurably, her arms wrapped around his neck, her small hands tangled in his hair. His hold on her tightened, lifting her petite frame off the gravel pathway.

"Sesshomaru," she whispered when they parted, her hair tussled, her lips swollen, her cheeks red, "I..."

It was too tempting, her lips were calling to him as he set her down, "I'll see you tomorrow night," he promised, placing a final kiss upon her lips, silencing her speech. He turned to leave, only for his coat sleeve to be lightly tugged upon.

"Wait!" Her voice was jittery, her eyes bright and jubilant, "By tomorrow night at seven, do you mean tomorrow as in Tuesday or tomorrow as in actually tonight, considering it's technically already Monday?"

He laughed, _Kami she was delightful_, "Tonight then," he walked back to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, "Have a goodnight Rin," he murmured, kissing her cheek.

She looked back up at him, her cheeks still flushed, "Ok," she whispered, watching as he left. She waited mere moments until she squealed with joy, running around her dorm, "HOLY SHIT!"

Sesshomaru turned back around and chuckled, watching as she ran around the lamppost. He was certainly impressed with her gymnastic abilities, watching as she flung herself off into a cartwheel.

"Thank you Kami!" She giggled and twirled with the falling snowflakes, her midnight hair sprinkled with white drops of snow.

He smiled, tucking his hands into his pants. _She was different_, he thought, and if anything, he was definitely looking forward to tonight.

* * *

><p>xoxo<p>

paizley


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